IT WAS 1987. I WAS THE ASSISTANT MANAGER OF A ONE HOUR PHOTO LAB AND MY PROPECTS FOR ADVANCEMENT WERE SLIM. MY BROTHER HAD AN IDEA, A "CAN'T-MISS CAPITAL ADVENTURE", HE CALLED IT-- A KIOSK IN THE MALL WHERE PEOPLE COULD HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT TAKEN IN FRONT OF AN IMAGE OF THEIR FAVORITE KANDINSKY PAINTING. WE WOULD SEND THE FILM OUT TO A LAB AND THE PEOPLE COULD PICK UP THEIR PICTURE IN 8 DAYS. HE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR YEARS. MY WIFE LEFT ME AFTER I WAS PASSED OVER FOR A PROMOTION, TAKING NOTHING BUT A SUITCASE FULL OF CLOTHES. I HAD LITTLE TO LOSE. I TOOK A GAMBLE AND POOLED BY SAVINGS INTO MY BROTHER'S STARTUP. KAN-DO-SKY'S OPENED IN THE SPRING OF ‘87. BUSINESS WAS SLUGGISH AT FIRST, BUT IT REALLY CAUGHT ON WHEN THEY PUTIN A GNC AND A GYM AT THE MALL THAT SUMMER. THE BODY BUILDERS AND HEALTH NUTS LOVED HAVING THEIR PHOTO TAKEN IN FRONT OF THE KANDINSKY PAINTINGS. WE HAD NUMEROUS REGULARS, AND EVERY NOW AND THEN A CELEBRITY OR TWO. SOME OF THEM BROUGHT THEIR TROPHIES OR THINGS TO POSE WITH. MY BROTHER SOMETIMES INSISTED BODY BUILDERS WERE AMONG THE VERY FEW PEOPLE THAT TRULY UNDERSTOOD MODERN ART. WE MADE SOME WAVES, THE LOCAL PAPER WROTE A PIECE ON OUR KISOSK WITH A FULL COLOR PHOTO. A COUPLE OF TV NEWS STORIES FOLLOWED. SOON AFTER WORD GOT OUT, THE PEOPLE FROM THE KANDINSKY ESTATE HIT US WITH A CEASE-AND-DESIST ORDER. I SUGGESTED WE CHANGE THE BACKGROUND FOR THE PORTRAITS. MY BROTHER INSISTED THAT WENT AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT KAN-DO-SKY’S WAS FOUNDED ON. HE WAS UNWAVERING IN HIS RESOLVE. HE WANTED TO TAKE OUT LOANS TO FIGHT LITIGATION, BUT WAS DENIED BY EVERY FRIEND, RELATIVE AND BANK. ULTIMATELY, KAN-DO-SKY’S FOLDED AFTER JUST 9 MONTHS. REGRETS? SURE. BUT THE IMAGES LIVE ON. AND FOR A SMALL MOMENT IN TIME, WE MADE ADIFFERENCE IN SOME PEOPLE'S LIVES.

The Kandosky's is a series of 75 hand made collages using souvenir postcards.